Ford Motor has been quiet about its rollout of the Ford Focus Electric, but word from MLive is that the electric hatchback won't be available outside of California, New York and New Jersey until the fourth quarter of 2012.

Simplified production is key to keeping costs in check on the $39,995 Focus Electric. All of the electrified Focus compacts roll down the assembly lines at Ford's Wayne, Mich factory and only a handful of production steps differ from those of the Focus Electric's conventional, gas-fueled counterpart. Here's a look at how the Focus Electric comes to life.

Ford expects its 2012 Focus Electric to become the "first five-passenger electric vehicle with a 100 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe)." The company will try to promote the magic triple-digit number as a key differentiator compared to the Nissan LEAF. But the Focus Electric's higher $39,995 price tag might be the more important number. Besides, the real-world numbers for driving range between the LEAF and Focus Electric are essentially identical.

A year ago, PluginCars.com contributor Tom Molougney wondered if Nissan made the right call to not use an active thermal management system—which could be the key to maintaining expected driving range in extreme temperatures. At the time, Nissan said, "We are confident the LEAF will perform well in all ambient temperatures." New light is cast on that question, now that the Chevy Volt’s liquid coolant has been identified as a possible cause of fires that might occur weeks after a severe accident.

Of this coming year's electric car debuts, Ford's 2012 Focus Electric has been one of the most anticipated among the growing group of electric car consumers. But after the announcement that the Focus Electric will start at a base price of $39,995, many of those who were anticipating it have now begun to grumble. Ford's Focus Electric Marketing Manager, Chad D'Arcy, provides some exclusive insight on these issues and the decisions Ford has made in bringing an electric car to market.

The 2012 Ford Focus Electric officially has its price tag, an online configurator and is available to reserve starting today. As we reported on Monday, it's very good news to see a new choice for getting behind the wheel of an electric car. However, the $40,000 price tag is simply not competitive, raising questions about Ford's commitment to selling electric cars in significant quantities—or even being perceived by the early adopters as a company that cares about the technology.

What's the secret sauce of electric cars? In a speed-obsessed society, you’d expect it to be acceleration—which most EVs have in spades. But actually the thing that distinguishes one electric car from one another is not how quickly it gets going, but the way it stops. In recent weeks, I’ve reached out to engineers from BMW, Ford, Toyota, Honda and Tesla to learn about each company’s approach to regenerative braking—the system that provides the feel or flavor of their electric cars.

Ford today clarified launch plans for its forthcoming Focus Electric, saying that the despite reports to the contrary the car has not in fact been pushed back and will see a limited release in New York and California “as scheduled,” by the end of this year.

Ford will start deliveries of the Ford Focus Electric later this year and the automaker is spending a lot of time trying to parse consumer attitudes towards electric vehicles. One thing it has discovered: People are really struggling to understand the parameters of driving an EV. Many consumers don’t have a good grasp of the basics of an electric vehicle, says Ford's Debra Hotaling.